There are 6 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2016 Kia Soulin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to work as needed. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to safely pull the vehicle over. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
i BOUGHT A 2016 kIA sOUL WITH 52.000 MILES ON IT SOME TIMES WHEN I PUT IT IN dRIVE IT BACKS UP.
THIS IS AN ELECTRIC KIA SOUL. I DROVE THE CAR INTO THE GARAGE. PUT IT IN PARK AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I NORMALLY PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON. I OPENED THE CHARGING DOOR BUT DID NOT PLUG IT IN IMMEDIATELY. I TOOK GROCERIES INTO THE HOUSE AND RETURNED FOR MORE. AS I WALKED BACK INTO THE GARAGE IT LOOKED LIKE THE CAR LURCHED BACKWARD. IT MOVED 2 FEET BACK AND WOULD HAVE HIT THE GARAGE DOOR IF IT WAS CLOSED. MAYBE IT ROLLED AND THEN CAUGHT ITSELF AND LOOKED LIKE IT LURCHED BACKWARD. THE GARAGE IS A NEARLY LEVEL CONCRETE SURFACE. I GOT BACK IN THE CAR. IT WAS IN PARK. I TURNED ON THE CAR TO MOVE IT FORWARD BUT BEFORE I DID, I CHECKED TO SEE IF THE PARKING BRAKE WAS ON. IT WAS NOT. I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO PLACE IT ON WHEN I PULLED INTO THE GARAGE. I COULD NOT RECALL EXACTLY BUT I ALWAYS PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON EVERY TIME I PARK THE CAR. THIS WAS SCARY BECAUSE IT ROLLED/LURCHED AT LEAST 2 FEET BACKWARD. I DID NOT SEE ANY ERROR/ALERT LIGHTS THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR ALMOST 2 YEARS AND PURCHASED A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED CAR FROM AN AUTHORIZED KIA DEALER WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR
FOUR CAR COLLISION, KIA SOUL 2016 WAS THE FIRST CAR. SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT ON A CITY STREET, BREAKS DID NOT WORK. THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS ON ROAD. NO ONE WAS CITED DURING THE ACCIDENT, OFFICERS ON SITE HAD BELIEF THERE WERE OTHER COMPLICATIONS RATHER THAN DRIVER NEGLIGENCE.
I HAVE A 2016 KIA SOUL, FULLY LOADED MODEL. SIX MONTHS AFTER BUYING THE CAR FROM THE DEALER (BOUGHT NEW WITH 8 MILES), I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATION, FROM A STOP OR SLOW. THE CAR WOULD HESITATE/LAG/ALMOST STALL FOR 2-5 SECONDS, BEFORE CATCHING AND STARTING TO SPEED UP. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I STILL HAVE THE CAR AND I CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. I TAKE THE CAR IN FOR REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND EVERY TIME, HAVE MENTIONED THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM AND EACH TIME THEY SAY THEY CAN'T FIND WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT. THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT IN, ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO, THEY SAID TO PUT GAS TREATMENT IN THE TANK AND IF I THE PROBLEM PERSISTS, THEN BRING IT IN TO HAVE THE CRANKCASE FILTER CHANGED (THIS IS THE UPSELL THEY'VE BEEN PUSHING ON ME FOR A YEAR NOW. I HAVE UNDER 30,000 MILES, MOST OF WHICH ARE CROSS-COUNTRY MILES. TODAY, I HAVE THE SAME ACCELERATION PROBLEM BUT THIS TIME AROUND, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS VERY SPONGY AND DIFFICULT TO SLOW, WHEN BREAKING TO PULL OVER. I PULLED OVER AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND LET IT IDLE TO LISTEN FOR ANY ODD OR UNFAMILIAR NOISES. THE CAR SOUNDED NORMAL. I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THIS ACCELERATION ISSUE HAPPENS ON THE CITY STREETS, AS WELL AS THE HIGHWAY.
WHILE DRIVING IN REGENERATIVE BRAKE MODE AND COMING UP TO A STOP LIGHT, I LET THE REGENERATIVE BRAKE TO SLOW THE CAR TO AROUND 10 KM/HR THEN APPLIED THE NORMAL BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE REST OF THE WAY. THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT ENGAGE WHATSOEVER. I DID NOT FEEL ANY RESISTANCE AND THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND. BECAUSE I COULDN'T STOP, I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME - LOW SPEED SO LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ABOUT BRAKE FAILURE EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. PEDAL WAS FLOORED AND THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION, ONLY MILD DECELERATION (I.E. STILL FROM THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES PRESUMABLY) THUS I AM QUITE CONFIDENT THIS WAS NOT A CASE OF PEDAL MISAPPLICATION.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026